Kentucky seniors warned about stimulus scams

State officials are warning senior citizens and those who collect government pensions to be wary of phone calls asking for personal information in order to get one-time stimulus money.

Under the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, those who collect Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, Veterans Affairs and Railroad Retirement Board will receive a one-time payment of $250 added to their retirement checks.

The money – set to be distributed by late May – will be automatically added to a pensioner's account. No additional information will be needed to get the one-time money.

Attorney General Jack Conway and Cabinet for Health and Family Services Secretary Janie Miller warned that those who receive money through those programs should not give any personal information – Social Security numbers or bank account information – to callers or e-mailers purporting to be from the federal government.

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"Individuals served by these programs will not be asked to provide any additional information to receive the payments and should be on alert for fraudulent attempts to obtain their personal information," Miller said.